On February 9, 2023, the East African Community (EACforce )’s announced its new road map for the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s east (DRC). The M23 insurrection, which controls parts of the province of North Kivu, will be forced to leave in March 2023 as part of the EAC’s plans to reorganize there and to maintain a truce with them.
The army and M23 rebels are still engaged in combat in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In recent days, the fighting has gotten closer to Sake, the final significant city before Goma, the province capital, in North Kivu.
This circumstance prompted the East African Community’s Heads of State to convene in an emergency session on February 4 (EAC). A meeting of the region’s chiefs of staff followed the summit on Thursday, February 9, and they developed a new road map for resolving the conflict.
RFI verified this secret document that was leaked over the weekend. As a result, the Chiefs of Staff noted that the previous deadlines, which included the ceasefire and the M23 rebels’ withdrawal from the occupied areas, had not been met. These deadlines were established at a summit of Heads of State held in November 2022.
The Chiefs of Staff are therefore recommending a new road map that calls for the creation of a structure tasked with ensuring that the ceasefire is being observed. The M23’s withdrawal is still being discussed concurrently.